Episode 40 (1st May 1961)
Plot Ida writes to say her mother isn't doing too badly. In her absence the Barlow menfolk find it hard to cope with the household matters. Esther finds out and offers to do the shopping and cooking for them. Dr Graham examines Linda and clears her and the baby. He flatters Elsie with his compliments. Linda thanks her mum for taking the time off work to look after her. Ena continues to annoy Martha with the way she tries to take over her home. Swindley calls and offers Ena her job back on the Mission committee's instructions. Martha is delighted but Ena has the advantage over him as she has already discovered they've interviewed five others for the job who've turned it down. They agree for her to go back with a 10/- raise. Once Swindley has gone, she reveals to Martha that she got in first and bribed the others to turn the job down. David's Foreman tells him that Donald Ferguson, the manager of County has called to see him about becoming professional and advises him to consider the matter carefully. Ivan gets a job at the local ironworks with 10/- a week more wages and he celebrates with wine and a salami sausage he has bought, amusing Elsie and Linda. They toast the expected baby and "Grandma Tanner". The Barlows look forward to Esther's meal. Ken is about to tell Frank about Marian when an excited David bursts in with the news that he's been picked for the first team. He rushes out for a training session, forgoing his food. Lucille and Alice bicker over going to the cinema. Harry confides in Len that he's had enough of the pair of them. Frank is delighted to see the story of David's promotion in the paper. He realises Ken has something on his mind and gets him to tell him about Marian and the fact that she is eleven years older than him. Cast Regular cast *Esther Hayes - Daphne Oxenford *Frank Barlow - Frank Pemberton *Kenneth Barlow - William Roache *David Barlow - Alan Rothwell *Elsie Tanner - Patricia Phoenix *Linda Cheveski - Anne Cunningham *Ivan Cheveski - Ernst Walder *Ena Sharples - Violet Carson *Martha Longhurst - Lynne Carol *Leonard Swindley - Arthur Lowe *Lucille Hewitt - Jennifer Moss *Harry Hewitt - Ivan Beavis *Len Fairclough - Peter Adamson Guest cast *Dr Graham - Fulton Mackay *Alice Burgess - Avis Bunnage *Foreman - Dennis Handby Places *3 Coronation Street - Back room *7 Coronation Street - Back room and hallway *9 Coronation Street - Back room *7 Mawdsley Street - Downstairs room *Ajax Engineering - Workshop Notes *This episode marks the writing debut of Adele Rose, the second-most prolific contributor of scripts to the programme (after Peter Whalley) and its longest-running writer in terms of years in the role. *Although Westward Television was launched on Saturday 29th April, 1961, the station initially opted out of transmitting Coronation Street only joining the programme with Episode 48 on 29th May. The show was therefore not fully networked for the interim four-week period. *As in Episode 11 (13th January 1961), it is stated that Dennis Tanner is twenty-two years old, whereas later episodes place him as being born on 1st April 1942 and thus he should only have been nineteen at this point in time. *''TV Times: Every front door hides a story. Behind the front doors in Coronation Street are stories of excitement and joy, pathos and humour ''(This generic synopsis did not appear in all regional editions) *Viewing Figures: First UK broadcast - 6,306,000 homes (6th place). Episode 040